Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Restricts the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats - The White House (.gov)

The proclamation changes entry rules for nationals of 19 countries. It fully restricts entry from 12 countries and partially restricts entry from seven. The administration says these measures protect U.S. national security and public safety. It also says they are meant to encourage foreign-government cooperation and enforce immigration laws.

The restrictions target countries identified as having serious weaknesses. These include inadequate screening, poor information sharing, high visa overstay rates, terrorist threats, or refusal to accept removable nationals. The policy is country-specific, so the limits differ according to each country’s circumstances and assessed risk.

The proclamation includes exceptions. Lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain visa categories, and people whose entry serves U.S. national interests may still qualify. The article presents the measure as an updated version of President Trump’s first-term travel ban, based on a newer assessment of global risks.

The proclamation affects 19 countries in total. Twelve countries face full restrictions: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Seven others face partial restrictions: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.

A full restriction means entry is broadly suspended or limited for nationals of a listed country, subject to stated exceptions. A partial restriction is narrower. It limits entry for certain travelers or visa categories rather than applying the same broad limitation to everyone from that country. The source does not list every partial restriction’s exact category.

The distinction reflects different assessments of risk. The 12 countries were described as presenting a very high risk, while the seven partially restricted countries were described as presenting a high level of risk. Exceptions include lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain visa categories, and national-interest cases.

Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act is a legal authority allowing a president to suspend or restrict the entry of foreign nationals when the president determines that their entry would be detrimental to U.S. interests. The article identifies this provision as the legal basis for the proclamation.

In practice, the president can use the authority to impose entry limits on nationals of particular countries or groups. The proclamation relies on a national security assessment involving terrorism, screening, vetting, immigration enforcement, and public safety. The restrictions can be broad or partial, depending on the identified risk.

The Supreme Court addressed this authority in Trump v. Hawaii. It upheld the president’s use of Section 212(f) for entry restrictions and described the policy as within presidential authority and premised on legitimate purposes. The article does not reproduce the statute’s full wording.

The restrictions include exceptions, so nationality alone does not automatically determine whether every person is barred. The article specifically names lawful permanent residents, people who already hold visas, certain visa categories, and individuals whose entry serves U.S. national interests.

For example, a lawful permanent resident from a listed country is identified as an exception. An existing visa holder may also qualify, although the article does not explain every condition or procedure. The same is true for certain visa categories and cases judged important to U.S. national interests. The exact scope of those categories is not provided.

These exceptions create a narrower system than an absolute ban on every person from a named country. They allow the government to maintain entry pathways for some people while applying broader security limits. Travelers would need to determine whether their status or purpose fits an applicable exception under the proclamation.

Travelers from the listed countries may be unable to enter or may face narrower entry options, depending on whether their country has a full or partial restriction. Families could face separation or delayed reunification, while students and businesses could encounter disrupted study, hiring, travel, or exchange plans. The article does not quantify these effects.

The key mechanism is restricted admission at the border and during visa processing. Exceptions may preserve entry for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain visa categories, and national-interest cases. The practical result will differ by nationality, immigration status, visa type, and purpose of travel.

For the United States, the administration says restrictions may help enforce immigration laws and encourage foreign governments to cooperate. It specifically links high visa overstays and countries’ refusal to accept removable nationals with greater enforcement burdens. The proclamation therefore aims to reduce security risks while changing how immigration resources are used.

The administration says country-specific restrictions address several distinct problems. Some countries lack reliable screening and vetting, making it harder to identify threats before entry. Others do not share identity or threat information effectively. The article also cites significant terrorist presence or state-sponsored terrorism as direct security concerns.

Visa overstay rates provide another warning sign. High rates can suggest that visitors are not following the terms of their visas and can increase pressure on enforcement systems. The administration also points to countries that historically have not accepted their removable nationals. That makes deportation and immigration management more difficult.

The restrictions are designed to encourage cooperation while protecting national security and public safety. Country-specific limits recognize that each country has different circumstances. The article presents the policy as a response to assessed risks, not as one identical rule for every foreign country.

A visa overstay rate is the share of people admitted on a particular visa type who remain beyond the period they were authorized to stay. It helps officials evaluate whether visitors are complying with immigration rules and whether a country’s travel system presents management challenges. The article uses rates from the Fiscal Year 2023 DHS Entry/Exit Overstay Report.

The proclamation cites different rates for business and tourist visas, and for student, vocational, and exchange visas. Burma, for example, had a B1/B2 overstay rate of 27.07 percent. Its F, M, and J visa overstay rate was 42.17 percent. Afghanistan’s corresponding rates were 9.70 percent and 29.30 percent.

High rates matter because they can indicate disregard for U.S. immigration laws and increase enforcement burdens. They are one factor among several. The administration also considered screening, information sharing, terrorism risks, and cooperation in accepting removable nationals.